Today's update is gonna go over some of the best functions to come to the Pokemon series. I'm not talking about gimmicks like Mega Evolution or Pokemon but rather additions to the game series that made gameplay easier or more enjoyable.

1. Merging Pokemon Center & The Pokemart

In Generations 1-4, The Pokemon Center & Pokemart were entirely different entities. As in, you went to one building to heal up your Pokemon and went to another building to buy supplies. It's wasn't supplied all in one place unlike the later Pokemon games. To be honest, I've never really had an issue with these two places being separate but the second they were combined, it made me so excited as this decision was made with the intention to make our gaming experience easier & more enjoyable.

2. Overworld Pokemon

Overworld Pokemon wasn't introduced until Generation 8. More than 20 years, ouch!!! Overworld Pokemon are just as their name suggests, Pokemon that spawn in the overworld. In Generations 1-7, you had to traverse tall grass, caves, and bodies of water in which you'd randomly encounter Pokemon in battle with no idea as to who they'd be. Thankfully come Pokemon Let's Go Eevee & Pikachu For the Switch In 2018, they introduced Overworld Spawns in which you FINALLY could see which Pokemon were in the environment as attack them as necessary. Sword & Shield went backwards as these games combined the previous and current generation as it had both Overworld & Underworld spawns. Come Legends Arceus as well as Scarlet & Violet, Underworld Spawns aka Random Encounters had been 100% Eliminated and if you ask me, it was a decision for the better.

3. Overworld Shinies

Just like Entry 2, it took more an 20 years for Pokemon to give us Overworld Shiny Pokemon. Shiny Pokemon are rare differently colored Pokemon. Come Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee of 2018, the same game to give us Overworld Pokemon, also gave us Overworld Shiny Pokemon. Come Sword & Shield of 2019, they unfortunately removed this function from us as Overworld Pokemon DO NOT appear Shiny unless you triggered a battle with them. Thankfully, come Legends Arceus and Scarlet & Violet, Shiny Pokemon DO spawn in the Overworld accompanied by a sound/Jingle signifying there's a shiny nearby and this function is here to stay.

4. Eliminate HMs/Hidden Moves

I've brought this up in the book before and I'm here to say it again. Pokemon did a great thing by eliminating HMs. What are HMs? HMs aka Hidden Machines act the same way as TMs. HMs are moves taught to Pokemon that were necessary to traverse the environment. This includes teaching Pokemon Fly in order to fast travel, Surf in order to travel across water or Rock Smash to destroy a Boulder on the path. The one downside to HMs was that you COUDLNT delete the move and your Pokemon was forever stuck knowing these moves. HMs were part of the games since the very first title in 1996 and thankfully were removed come Sun & Moon in 2016 aka Generation 7. In Gen 7, and every game since, the games gave the player ride Pokemon that could traverse the environment OR handle roadblocks as necessary such as the Rotom Bike or Flying Taxis in Sword & Shield or Koraidon/Miraidon in Scarlet & Violet. This made the games easier to traverse & the player wasn't stuck with Pokemon who knew moves they couldn't forget.

5. Player Customization

From Generation 1-5, the Player lacked the ability to customize their player character aside from their name. Come 2013 in Generation 6, Pokemon X & Y introduced the Ground breaking feature of Player Customization and honestly, X & Y has the most impressive player Customization to the point every game afterwards pales in comparison. X & Y introduced the ability to choose Gender, skin color, hairstyle/color, & clothes. Sun & Moon introduced the ability to customize ball throwing style (of which has never made a comeback). Legends Arceus introduced Masks. Scarlet & Violet introduced body alterations such as eye, nose & mouth styles. Admittedly, whenever I go back and play a Pokemon game where Player Customization isn't available, it takes away from the experience as the player character doesn't feel like 'me'.

6. Auto Battle/Let's Go

Although Auto Battle/The Let's Go Feature was difficult for me to utilize at first, it soon became a way of life. Auto Battle aka Let's Go is a feature that was introduced in Scarlet & Violet/Generation 9, nearly 30 years after the first game in the Pokemon Series. Let's Go allows the player to send out a Pokemon and it'd act freely by picking up items and attacking nearby Pokemon. Basically, the Pokemon is experience farming/training it's own self. This new feature made experience farming/training MILES easier & somewhat fun! This feature also gave players a failsafe way to shiny hunt as the Pokemon in Let's Go Mode CANNOT attack Shiny Pokemon, therefore, taking away the fear of accidentally defeating a shiny.

7. Introduce Fairy Types

In Generation 6, Pokemon introduced a new Pokemon typing that has changed the game more than we realize. Come Gen 6, we got the Fairy typing that re-typed more than 20 previously existing Pokemon & it was also introduced to offset just how overpowered Dragon & Dark types were. At first, I never quite understood the Fairy Typing and often saw it as an annoyance ESPECIALLY in its introductory game. But the more I thought about it, the more I came to accept the Fairy typing as it gave Original Pokemon whose original types didn't feel fitting and gave them a new fitting identity such as the Clefairy line, Togepi Line & Jigglypuff lines. As mentioned above, Fairy types were introduced to even out the Dragon types in power as previously, Dragons were only weak to Ice Types, a late game & otherwise useless typing. Fairies are now an easier to obtain typing of Pokemon. Nowadays, the Fairy Typing is a fan favorite and necessary addition to the Pokemon series.

8. Wonder Trade

Wonder Trade, known as Random Trade depending on the game, is a feature that has been available since Generation 6 In Pokemon X & Y. Wonder Trade allows you to put up a Pokemon for trade and trade it with a random stranger instantaneously. You could put up a Pidgey for trade & get another Pidgey in return OR you could get lucky & get a Legendary. It really just depends on how generous the opposite party is. Ever since I learned of Wonder Trades existence, it's been a must use for me in every game since. I use Wonder Trade to get rid of Pokemon I hatched in an egg and hopefully get version exclusive Pokemon OR Pokemon I don't own yet in return. Now it is time consuming, but the idea & thrill of getting a random Pokemon & wondering who it'd be always gets me excited!!! Wonder Trades have been VITAL towards helping me complete my Pokedex every new game.

9. Global Trade System aka GTS

Although it's been completely removed from the games in recent years, the GTS is still around. The GTS aka the Global Trade System has been around since Generation 4 & is a more clear cut version of Wonder Trades. You put up a Pokemon for trade asking for one particular Pokemon in return. You can even make specific requests such as the Level or Nature you'd like the Pokemon you receive in return. You can leave for a few hours or days, and if someone offers the exact Pokemon you asked for in return, specifications and all, the system would automatically carry out the trade, completing the transaction. The GTS was awesome if you were looking for a particular Pokemon as both sides are consenting and both parties benefit from the trade. It was furthermore great as the trades didn't have to be carried out in real time. The GTS was VITAL in my Sun & Moon days. However, as mentioned above, the GTS has 100% been removed from the Pokemon console games. The GTS is still available if you utilize Pokemon Home: An app for your phone & Switch that connects ALL of your Pokemon games together in one place where the GTS & Wonder Trades can be carried out. Yeah... Due to this change, I've stopped using the GTS BUT it was such a great feature back in its early days.

10. Underwater Exploration

A function that hasn't made a comeback to the series in over 10 years, Underwater Exploration USED TO be a feature in the Pokemon games. In Generation 3, Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire & Emerald introduced the ability to dive underwater in the oceans in order to access new areas & capture Pokemon you wouldn't find anywhere else such as Clampearl & Relicanth. This was such an awesome feature in said games and one of the highlights to most of my Emerald Playthroughs. This feature then went missing for nearly two Generations as it didn't come back until the end of Generation 5 in Pokemon Black & White 2 where diving/underwater exploration was reintroduced in order to explore underwater ruins in Undella Bay. I honestly kills me that Pokemon hasn't dared to bring back Diving/Underwater exploration. If you ask me, Scarlet & Violet would've been the perfect game to bring it back since Koraidon & Miraidon are virtually unstoppable when it comes to exploration. In fact, thinking back on ot now, Sword & Shield, especially their DLCs, feel weird without underwater exploration. This feature is one of Pokemon's best and I hope it comes back sometime!!!

Which of these Features do you think we're the best additions to the Pokemon series?

Anything I didn't mention?